Alpha’s Surrogate by POOJA

2 years later  The first rays of sunlight broke through the thick layer of darkness as it entered the window of the last room on the second floor of the Ardara Moon Pack house. The growling, painful screams, terrifying moaning, and the dreadful fighting downstairs echoed in the Ardara Moon Pack for the past five hours had come to an end as soon as the dawn had broken the horizon.  A young woman had been in the middle of the room, her eyes wide with fright. She’d been up all night. She had not been able to ignore the arrival of this unusual and unexpected tranquilly. What had happened? She had  prayed to the Moon Goddess all night for the violence and commotion to end, but when it finally came an awful feeling not only battered her heart, but also the door. Lifting herself off the cold floor, she looked at the door, attempting to get a whiff of the person on the other side. Was it an enemy? As soon as she recognized the aroma, the young woman let out a relieved sigh. The young woman was Kiara, the Ardara Moon Pack’s Alpha Sawyer’s younger daughter. She raced to the door, only to be greeted by her mother, who had returned after a long absence. “Mom!” Kiara shouted, pulling her into a hug. Her mother’s body felt cool against her heated one. The older woman was in her forties. Her unkempt but lovely brown hair had been pulled up into a messy bun. Despite the fact that she smelled of blood and dirt and had bruises on her shoulders, her sea blue eyes had effectively tricked her daughter into thinking she was okay. Luna Martha refused to return her daughter’s hug as she dragged her into the room, closing the door behind her. “Are you hurt, Mom?” Kiara became aware of her mother’s bleeding arms, which she had  attempted to conceal. This had been blamed on the ripped fabric. “Such small wounds continue to occur on a werewolf. Don’t be concerned about me; I’m alright,” She attempted to act normal. Luna Martha  had passed by Kiara before she could even notice her mother’s injured hands. Martha had come to a halt in front of Kiara’s cabinet.  “Your wound is oozing profusely, Mom. Allow me to at least apply a bandage,” Kiara returned to her mother with a first aid kit. The cut was enough to alert her of the situation, and that her mother had lost a lot of blood. She had to take care of it.  “We don’t have time for all of this.”  Martha drew her hand back as began collecting all of Kiara’s clothing from the cupboard and placed it in a suitcase. “What exactly are you doing? Why are you packing my belongings?” She’d never seen her mother so tense before. She was taken aback when Martha placed all of her possessions into her luggage, including her passport, Id, debit card, credit card, and cash. Her mother’s actions made her feel as if she was packing her bags, handing over every single coin she had in her pocket at the moment in preparation for a trip to somewhere far away. It sent chills down her spine because it was only her luggage that was being packed.  “Tell me, Mom. Why are you packing my things?” She stood in front of her mother, who had been constantly disregarding her queries. She didn’t understand why her suitcase was packed without a reason. “You’re leaving this pack with your sister right now,” her mother paused for a second then declared as she stared at her lovely daughter, who was surprised by her words. “What?” Kiara had not caught any of what her mother had said before she was pushed aside so that her mother could return to packing her bags. “Why are you sending Adira and me away?” It did not make sense to her. She had misunderstood that Adira had been allowed to join the fight with them. Luna Martha had not dared to respond to her daughter so she mumbled. At times like these, she couldn’t think of her as her mother, but instead as the Luna of the pack. “Tell me why I need to leave my home, where I’ve spent my entire life!” She had raised her voice at this unexpected announcement, made for her without her constant, it felt unfair to her. “I am under no obligation to answer any of your inquiries. I’ve put all of your belongings in here, I’m sending Adira to the back door. Both of you need to leave as quickly as possible, don’t stop until you’re out of this territory.” Kiara had received an order from the Luna of her pack, not her mother. She had used her authoritative tone in an indirect instruction so that she would not question her further. “But where will we go?”  “Go to my father’s pack. I’ll notify them of both of my daughters’ impending arrivals,” Kiara was astonished by Martha’s statement. Was there a problem? How had all of this come to be determined so quickly? Why was her mother so desperate to get her to leave the pack? Why didn’t she want her to be here any longer? She was not explaining anything to her. “But, mom, if you’re sending me away, you need to tell me the reason,” she was steadfast in her refusal to move from her spot until she was given some kind of explanation. Luna Martha was irritated that her daughter had chosen this moment to be obstinate.  “There isn’t an explanation. Do as I say!” She became enraged as she yelled at the top of her lungs. Kiara pondered when she had last seen her mother in this type of agitated state. She had  always been courteous and a wonderful mother, but now…she shook her head and then said.  “I don’t want to leave my family and pack for no reason, Mom,” even though she was not her Father’s favorite daughter, she wanted to remain with her family.   Her Father and the majority of the pack had ignored her since birth. It had nothing to do with her gender. She had an older sister who was treated better than her. Her father only despised her because he thought she had brought bad luck to him. Too many negative things had occurred in the past to cause him to think this way. She was her parents’ youngest child, and unlike the others, she was unloved by her Father. Nonetheless, she was adored by her older sister and Mother, who were always there for her. Their presence in her life had encouraged her to continue breathing. She hadn’t cared if she was despised by hundreds. All she cared about was the love she had received from the most important person in her life, but she had never anticipated her mother would ask her to leave so abruptly. She never wanted to believe that her mother had given up on her. It was a nightmarish experience for her. Luna Martha had lost her patients with her daughter. She had placed the suitcase in her daughter’s hand as she hurriedly began dragging her out of her room, but the obstinate young woman had stopped in her tracks, forcing her mother to glance back at her. “What exactly are you doing? Just go!” Martha clenched her teeth. They were running out of time. Kiara inquired before her mother grabbed her hand. “We have lost the war, haven’t we?” Martha’s shaking hands turned into a balled fists at her sides when she heard the question that she never wished to answer. She wanted her youngest daughter to flee before she could learn just how pathetic her pack and parents had turned out to be after their defeat. But her daughter was intelligent enough to figure out everything even though she had been locked in her room for hours. Yes, as soon as the attack had occurred she had been locked in her room. She had not been allowed to fight or aid her pack.  She wanted to fight, but she had been forbidden from doing so since her father feared that her poor luck would lead to their defeat. He’d told her she had to stay locked in her room. She had no choice other than to obey him. She simply wished they had won, but it did not appear that they had done so against their adversaries. Kiara could see the anxiety in her mother’s eyes. Her mother had clearly not given up on her after all of these years, therefore the reason for sending her away was something else entirely. The stillness that had taken over after hours of c*****e was not filled with joy for her pack, but with the somber sadness of their defeat. Luna Martha’s silence, her fear at not revealing the outcome of the war, and ordering her youngest daughter to leave the pack that way could only mean one thing: the Ardara Moon Pack had lost the battle. “What about my brother?” Kiara inquired about her twin brother. Not once had Martha mentioned him. He had joined the pack in the fight. Kiara sensed a layer of hatred in her Mother’s eyes as she asked about him. She pulled her body closer to her Mother, who had grown silent and stiff as she gripped her arms. “Mom, where is Lewis!” She sobbed when she realized he had died. Her brother had died. This was why Luna Martha wished to keep both of her girls safe. She had urged them to flee. They had murdered her brother, who was completely innocent. “There is no way I am running away like a coward,” Kiara declared, tossing her suitcase aside and putting all of her clothing back in her cabinet. “What in the world are you doing?” Her Mother attempted to dissuade her. “Yes, we lost the battle, and my bastard con was killed! He is the one to blame for us having to fight this awful war, which we have lost. Our demise is now assured,” the Luna admitted. Martha’s comments were sufficient to describe her indignation and anguish. Her last son had become the source of their pack’s demise. “Why are you blaming Lewis?” Kiara was confused.  “Your brother tried to steal a female’s innocence, she was from the Sirius Bright pack. He ended up killing her. I still cannot believe that your brother is such a monster,” Martha revealed the truth that she had been hiding from her daughter.  The Ardara Moon Pack had a long-standing feud with the Sirius Bright Pack, which the ancestors had opted to disregard for the sake of all. Despite the fact that they were still in a cold war with that pack, they were neither adversaries or allies, violence and c*****e ceased. But, knowing the anger and bitterness between the two packs, Lewis and his friends had murdered an innocent female from their pack. He was terrified of his Father’s wrath after committing that crime. He tried to conceal his scandal from everyone, but he was caught off guard when the Sirius Bright Pack attacked them within a few hours. Lewis had been the first casualty of the attack, he died instantaneously. The Father of the innocent female that had been murdered by him so viciously that her body was difficult to identify, then they began to kill each other. The conflict had been instigated by the Ardara Moon Pack, but they had been defeated by the strength of the Sirius Bright Pack. “What?” Kiara placed her palm over her mouth scared, after discovering her brother’s horrifying dark side. Lewis had only been a few minutes older than her. During those few hours while the fighting had raged on, she had mistaken it as an attempt by enemies to reclaim their territory, but it turned out to be a fight for honor. “This battle was the result of that young females’ father’s rage. Unfortunately, the female was the Alpha’s cousin, he was furious. All of the Sirius Bright Pack’s reasons for attacking were legitimate. But I can’t allow both of you my daughters to perish with us. Our fate has been sealed, but I shall secure my daughter’s,” her Mother stated, attempting to prevent her from unpacking her clothing. “So, mum, what do you expect me to do? How would I live with myself if I ran away, leaving all of you to die? How would I go on living knowing that my parents and pack were no longer alive? Isn’t it true that family is intended to be together no matter the situation, just like you’ve always taught me? So why do I need to flee? If we are dying, I want to be a part of this as well.” She brushed away her Mother’s tears. Martha adored her lovely daughter, who remembered everything that she had taught her. Even though they had lost the war against that mighty pack and death was closing in on them, she was not ready to abandon them. Despite the fact that she had lived her entire existence in a world of injustice. “It was different back then, but the situation has changed, Kiara,” she quietly took her hand in hers. “We may not be able to defend anyone now, but I cannot bring myself to watch any more of my children perish. You must flee before they attack this pack house,” Her Mother stared her in the eyes, making her realize the severity of the situation. They had been through battles before, but this time it had been too much for them. They had already lost half of the pack members. “I am still not going,” Kiara claimed. “Why the heck aren’t you listening to me? You’re leaving, and that’s the end of it,” Luna Martha had had enough as she slapped her obstinate daughter across the face to bring her back to reality. This was not the time to get emotional and make a sacrifice for individuals who had never cared about her. They were never going to recognise her worth no matter what she did. “Would you have listened to me if you were in my position and I told you to leave Dad, Adira, Noah, this pack, and I and escape?” Luna Martha was surprised by her daughter’s question. She had wanted her to be upset because it was her first time slapping her. Yes, she had not been her Father’s favorite daughter, but she had not been physically mistreated either. Kiara’s direct inquiry had rendered the older woman speechless. “You will not run away, right? Then there is no way I am leaving you alone,” Kiara announced that it was no longer necessary to hit or explain anything to her. Her Mother had been soundly defeated. That was when there was a loud bang that came from the main floor of the pack house. “Alpha Xavier Lincoln,” Luna Martha had become concerned after noticing that the Alpha had forced his way into the pack house and that the main door had been smashed. It was too late to escape; they must have been surrounded by Sirius Bright Pack members. “Alpha Xavier?” Kiara repeated the mighty Alpha’s name. She hadn’t even been told the name of the opposing pack or who the Alpha was. But she knew her brother had messed with the wrong male. She had never been permitted to attend any of the gatherings or ceremonies that other packs would attend, so she had never seen his face. She’d heard a lot of rumors about him though. In other words, saying his name was like calling the devil.  Then, out of nowhere, a weird movement and commotion began to emanate from the main floor, indicating that the fight had not yet ended. Not until the bodies of every Ardara Moon Pack member had been presented to Alpha Xavier. “I need to go,” Luna Martha said as she had decided to stand beside her mate, Alpha Sawyer.  “Wait for me Mom,” the moment that Kiara attempted to follow her Mother, the door to her room was slammed shut. She was barely a second too late. “Mom, what are you doing?” She had noticed her mother was closing the door. Her bastard son had already sullied their name which had led to the annihilation of their pack. He had slain an innocent female. Luna Martha hated the fact that she had given birth to him, but she was fully aware that this war had been sparked by vengeance. She worried that in the fire of retribution, that the Sirius Bright Pack would do to her daughters what her son had done to that female. She’d already imprisoned Adira in the bedroom and planned to safeguard both of them. “Don’t bother coming out. You’ll be staying in this room,” Kiara listened as her mother hastily walked away after locking her up. “Mom, open the door! Mom!” She kept banging on the door, but her Mother never came back. She was frightened that this was the last time that she would be able to see her mother alive. She hadn’t let her eyes grow wet as she attempted to find the key that should be beneath the drawer. She checked each drawer one by one, only to discover that the key was nowhere to be found. Had her Mother already removed the key the day before? No, that couldn’t be right. If she had, there was no way she could leave this room. The window in her room was tiny, it was only large enough to allow some fresh air into her room, so crawling out of it was not an option. She kept looking until she heard the sound of a key in the lock of her door. Was her Mother back? When she turned her gaze to the door, she noticed that her older sister Adira had unlocked it for her. “Come on,” she flung open the door wide. It was their secret, no one knew Adira had access to the master key. She had used it to escape from her room before coming to save her sister. She realized her Mother had also shut her in her room. Kiara had forgotten about the master key. “We need to go downstairs,” Kiara informed her sister. She was terrified when all the violence and screaming had stopped, as if her parents had already been killed. They upped their speed as they ran down the stairs, only to come to a halt near the living room. Her nose was assaulted by the scent of fresh blood. She glanced inside the room, terrified of what she would find. There was a dead body in the living room, it was Alpha Sawyer’s Gamma. They had begun to murder individual members. Her terrified gaze landed on her parents, who were still alive but not for long. “You can’t go in there,” Adira said firmly, reminding her that her father was still in the room and would not approve of her presence. He avoided seeing her face the majority of the time, and she was not permitted to pass or remain in any room he had been using. She had no choice but to exert control over herself. She tried to peek into the living room while hiding her body behind the wall. A unique and mysterious aroma hit her nose that was not from any of her pack members. What was the source of this odor? She couldn’t ignore it. Her Father was enraged, and her older brother, Noah, was shouting at someone. Noah was the oldest child of the family, he was going to take over Alpha Sawyer’s position in near future. When she tried to glance to the other side of the room, she discovered that a male with broad shoulders was seated on a chair like a king. She couldn’t make out his face, but she was certain he was an Alpha. The deadly Alpha who had attacked their pack and was emitting that lovely scent. Their conversation and argument were not audible to her. But she was certain that her egotistical and stupid brother had exacerbated the situation. He had somehow refused to accept defeat or capitulation, and her Father, Alpha Sawyer, had supported him in this. Her Mother attempted to hit some sense into her Father, but his ego was bigger than he was tall. Sawyer was prepared to die, but not in front of another Alpha.  “Kill all of them!” Alpha Xavier’s heavy and threatening voice resonated in Kiara’s ears. She watched as his pack members charged towards the Ardara Moon Pack’s remaining pack members immediately after his instruction. She clenched her palm in terror as she witnessed the brutality. Her pack members had already been hurt, none of them were going to last for another several minutes. She needed to get out, but what could she do? She couldn’t stop them. She watched as the Alpha get up from his seat and left the pack house, but he came to a halt so that he could deliver another order. “For the Alpha and his family…” he paused a couple of seconds before continuing. “Behead them all!”  Kiara’s heart fell into her stomach, as did Adira’s. Her sister’s hand, which she had been using to keep her sister from entering the living room, became paralyzed. Their parents would be beheaded in front of their eyes. Kiara watched the Alpha turn to go, before she dashed inside . “Stop!” She dashed up to the towering male, breaching the rule of not appearing before her Father. The Sirius Bright Pack members were taken aback when they saw the young female who spoke to their Alpha as Xavier slowly turned back to see a 5.7 beautiful figure.  Kiara’s chocolaty brown eyes connected with his forest green ones, which were stunning. Their eyes locked with each other.